A prognostic tool supporting surgical decisions in hepatocellular carcinoma
Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is the 6th most common cancer and the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In 2020, 905.700 people were diagnosed with liver cancer and 830.200 died from the disease. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 90% of all liver cancer cases and for 75% of the deaths. The major risk factors associated with HCC are alcohol consumption, infections by hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV), diabetes, and NASH-associated obesity1. Liver transplantation (LT) is the best curative option for a patient with HCC in the early stages of the disease. However, due to small number of organs available in relation to the number of patients in the waiting lists, strict and rigorous clinical criteria are required to better select patients that will benefit from this type of treatment.
HepatoPredict
HepatoPredict is an innovative medical decision tool aimed at determining the prognosis of HCC in the context of liver transplantation. In doing so, it helps medical teams make better decisions regarding patient selection for transplantation or patient monitoring strategies pre- or post-surgery. HepatoPredict is based on a machine learning algorithm that combines a gene expression signature from the tumor with clinical variables from the patient. It outperforms current clinical criteria, such as Milan and San Francisco (UCSF), in predicting recurrence following liver transplantation2.
How it works
HepatoPredict uses a predictive algorithm that integrates 3 clinical variables collected from routine imaging tests and a 4 gene expression signature measured in a tumor biopsy or surgical explant. From a small amount of FFPE tissue, HepatoPredict outputs a prognostic information in the form of a simple and objective clinical report.
Who is it for?
We developed HepatoPredict to support hepatologists, hepatobiliary surgeons and multidisciplinary tumor boards deciding on the best therapeutical approach for a patient with HCC. HepatoPredict empowers these professionals and teams with clear prognostic information, that has the potential to inform:
- Patient selection for liver transplantation;
- The risk of drop out from a transplantation waiting list/period;
- Personalization of patient follow up after liver transplantation;
- Organ allocation policies.
Availability
Ophiomics commercializes HepatoPredict through partnerships with regional distributors. Currently, HepatoPredict is available in:
References
1Globoscan 2020, WHO; Lovet et al (2021) Hepatocellular carcinoma. Nature Reviews. doi:
2Pinto-Marques and Cardoso et al (2022) A gene expression signature to select hepatocellular carcinoma patients for liver transplantation. Annals of Surgery. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005637
